Starting Line
by Sweetliberations
Summary: All great Epics have a beginning. Pasts that glue families together. This is my version on how the team got together.
1. Chapter 1

Dominic Toretto was the biggest prick known to mankind, Letty muttered as her feet stomped up the steps to her house and carried her through the screen door, letting it slam behind her. Ignoring the stern look from her Grandmother, she continued up the steps and fought the urge to slam the bedroom door behind her.

Yelling at her because his head was shoved up his ass instead of paying attention before taking a step back into the pan of used oil from the oil change he was doing on his stupid car. A person would've thought he'd given her the keys to the kingdom because he allowed her to help him. She wasn't born yesterday; she knew Mr. Toretto made him ask.

If he needed to yell at someone, perhaps he should've yelled at the skanks who'd been walking back and forth past the Toretto house trying to catch his eye. Stupid girls. They had his attention the first time they paraded past, with their tits hanging out while they were wiggling their barely covered butts. By the fifth time they flocked by, he was so distracted that he barely realized the catch pan wasn't placed properly and most of the liquid had splattered onto the driveway.

Perhaps she shouldn't have laughed when he stepped back and ruined his new boots. But she couldn't help herself, he'd been acting stupid. Flexing his arms when the girl's voices alerted them of their pending arrival, making sure he gave them something to look at.

"Letica." Her Grandmother's floated through her bedroom door. "Dominic is here."

Rolling her eyes, Letty stripped off her tee-shirt and tossed it into the corner. Of course Dom was there. Tony had been chewing his ass when she stormed off, and knowing Mr. Toretto he sent his son up the street to apologize. Well, he could stand at the bottom of the steps all day; she was done with his stupidity.

Grabbing a clean top, she tugged it over her head before moving to her bed and flopping down.

"Letica!" A slow smirk spread across her face, as she lay on her stomach and crossed her ankles. Her Grandmother would give up soon, sending Dom away with some flimsy excuse.

Grabbing the discarded magazine she'd been reading the night before, she flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning the cars before moving to the next page. Most of the cars received a roll of her eyes. Just because they looked pretty, didn't mean they could do shit when it came to speed.

Her ears perked up when she heard heavy steps on the stairs. Frowning, her head turned toward the door. Her heart nearly stopped when there was a soft knock at her door. Now this was a first. Typically whenever Dom was sent over to tell her he was sorry for whatever dumbass thing he'd done, and she decided to ignore him he would leave.

"Letty will you stop being so stubborn?" His tone was annoyed, which only made her more annoyed with him.

"When you stop being such a douche." Letty muttered, flipping the page a little too harshly and cursing when it ripped.

"I'll stop being a douche when you stop acting like a kid." His reply had her scowling at her closed door, while her hand clenched into a tight fist. He knew she hated it when he called her a kid. Dumb ass was only four years older than she was. "Are you going to let me tell you I'm sorry?"

Gritting her teeth, Letty pushed the magazine off the bed and rolled onto her back. "Dom, go away. We both know your Dad sent you up here. I'll do us both a favor; you don't need to worry about me asking to help with the cars. That way you don't have to be stuck hanging out with some kid."

"Jesus." Frustration seeped through the door. "That's not what I meant."

"Go away Dom." Kicking off her shoes, ignoring how her throat felt tight, Letty stared out her bedroom window at the clouds in the sky. She could hear his heavy sigh before his boots traveled down the stairs.

An hour later the Toretto's sent in the heavy guns, as Mia let herself into Letty's room and took up a spot on the bed. "Are you really going to stop hanging around the house?"

Still staring out the window, Letty shrugged her shoulders. Anger still simmered beneath her skin, as Dom's words echoed through her head.

"Are you going to stop being my friend?"

Sighing, Letty hated the hurt tone in Mia's voice. "Of course not. Who else puts up with me?"

Feeling her legs being nudged to give Mia more room, she scooted over so they both could fit on the twin bed. "Dom's really sorry."

"Only because your Dad heard him." Letty grumbled.

"A little." Mia laughed. "Dad really gave it to him good this time. But you should've seen his face when he came back. He really thinks you're not gonna come around anymore."

Moving to lay back on her elbows, Letty gave Mia a long look before sighing. "I'm not. We're still friends and we can always hang out here. But I'm getting tired of his shit."

"What about the races?" A knowing smirk moved across Mia's smug face.

Oh, girl had her there. "I'll make an exception for the races."

"And my birthday?" The corners of Mia's mouth twitched.

Sighing, Letty tried not to laugh. "Of course I would come over for you birthday. I'm just tired of Dom calling me the shadow. Treating me like some stupid little girl who barely tie her own shoes. His idiot friends aren't any better."

"Letty can I ask you something without you getting all bitchy?"

"Probably not." Letty answered while her brow inched up. She'd learned over the last few years of being friends with Mia that whenever she asked her not to get bitchy, she typically did. "But I can see you're gonna burst if you don't, so spill."

"Do you have a thing for Dom?"

Freezing, feeling as though Mia had punched her in the gut instead of asking a simple question, Letty tried to keep her face neutral. "Shit no. Guy's probably carrying more DNA on his stick than a sperm bank."

Her eyes widening, Mia snickered. "Classy."

"Hey, he's your brother."

Mia's smile faltered before she sucked in a deep breath and said. "You know, if you did you can tell me."

"Is that what he thinks?" Feeling her blood turn ice cold, Letty leveled her gaze on her friend, hell her only friend and waited for her response.

"I -." Licking at her lips, Mia looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I may have overheard him talking to Vince."

Oh shit, Letty thought darkly as she shut her eyes. "Kill me now."

"I guess that's a yes."

"No." Letty protested, her eyes going cold. "I don't do school girl crushes. Your stupid idiot of a brother thinks he's some kind of sex god. I hang out there because I like working on cars, and seeing he knows his way around an engine I like to pick up things from him. If your Dad wasn't worried about losing his license at the garage I'd be there every day, learning from him."

"Are you sure?"

Pulling a pillow from behind her head, Letty tossed it at Mia's face. "Positive. Can we stop talking about him?"

Letty Ortiz was the biggest pain in his ass. In the last three years she'd gotten him in more trouble than he would have otherwise. It pissed him off that at the age of fifteen she had the ability to push his buttons like no one else could. With just a twitch of her lips, he knew she was mocking him. While a simple roll of her eyes let him know he was being stupid. But when she got mad enough to give him the silent treatment, meant two things. He'd been a total jerk, and that his Dad was gonna ride his ass until she forgave him.

And with Letty's temper that could be weeks, if not months.

Fisting his keys, he trotted down the steps, his feet slowing when he spotted his Dad sitting in his recliner in front of the TV. So far they'd been able to avoid one another since the episode, but when his Dad raised his disappointed gaze to his, Dom prayed Letty dropped her attitude fast.

"How'd it go?" Though his tone came out calm, Dom could tell he was still angry.

"Wouldn't come down stairs." Leaning against the door frame, Dom tried not to fidget under his Dad's heavy stare. "I went up to her room."

A slight smirk moved on the older man's lips. "And how did that work for you?"

"I think I really pushed her too hard this time."

Sighing, his Dad turned off the television and gave his son his full attention. "You're not a kid anymore Dom. You've got a temper and it's about time you learn how to control it. I would like to think I taught you how to be a man."

"Come on Pops, you know you've been a great Dad." Feeling like an ass, Dom looked down at the tip of his boots before looking back up at his Father.

"Your friends look up to you." His Dad went on. "You were a born leader, and you need to think of how your behavior affects others."

He knew this too and sometimes he could almost feel the weight from the responsibility that came with it.

"Letty has had a rough life." His Dad's voice lowered again, as Dom winced. Sometimes it was hard to remember the nightmare Letty had lived before moving in with her Grandmother, not when her sharp tongue was lashing at him. "I know she seems tough, but sometimes it's just an act. Like everyone, she has cracks in her armor. It's time you man up, and stop letting your anger control you."

"Jeez, you act like I hauled off and hit her." Feeling like some abusive asshole, Dom glared at his father from his position in across the room.

"Sometimes words hurt more than fists Dom. Remember that." Pushing himself out of the recliner, his Dad moved across the room and reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder. "You're a good person Dom. A little wild perhaps, but I blame your Mom's side of the family for that."

Listening to his Dad's footsteps climb up the stairs, Dom looked down at the keys in his hand. He was supposed to meet up with the Vince, Leon and Jesse. Instead, now all he wanted to do was take a drive and clear his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

So honestly, this is my first F&F fanfic. I've read several, and loved them all. It's hard not to let a story with Dom, Letty and the team get a little out of hand, and I will try hard to keep it as close to cannon as possible. Thanks for the great feedback!

* * *

Staring in disgust at herself in the mirror, Letty let out a disgruntled groan as she closed her eyes against the mocking reflection. How could something so stupid make her Grandmother so happy? Cracking her right eye open, she prayed the reflection would magically change. Instead of her comfortable shirt and jeans she practically lived in, with her falling apart boots firmly on her feet, Letty stared at the stranger looking back. Fuck, she looked like some prissy-assed girl.

Turning to look get a look at the back, her lips sneered before shifting around again. The white sundress her Grandmother Adele fought tooth and nail for her to wear, felt too tight around her chest. It felt as though a vice grip was tightening around her ribcage. It didn't help much that she couldn't wear her sports bra underneath and never in her life had she felt so exposed. Folding her arms across her chest, Letty blew out her cheeks to avoid screaming and stared up at the ceiling.

The worst part was how pristine white the dress was. There was no way she'd be able to keep the damn thing clean, not unless she sat with the rest of the girls who did nothing but gossip about stupid ass shit. If she had to listen to her cousin talk about her latest crush she couldn't be held responsible for her actions.

She supposed the least she could do was wear the stupid thing if it made Abuelita happy. It's not like she forced her to dress like this every day, and she didn't get on her too much to be more like Mia. Plus they were going over to Auntie's for the barbeque, so it wasn't like anyone she knew would see her. Maybe she could bring a change of clothes to slip into before they came home.

Glaring at the matching sandals lying menacingly near her bed, Letty's lip curled at the slight heel. She wouldn't be able to walk in those things, not without the threat of falling flat on her face.

"Leticia, are you ready?" Wanting more than anything to snap back that she wasn't going, Letty sucked in a deep breath.

"Yeah." Shoving her feet into the offensive, flimsy footwear she took a hasty step forward and nearly fell. "Stupid heels." Yanking them off and letting them dangle from her fingers and made her way to the stairs.

"You look so beautiful." Forcing herself not to roll her eyes, Letty sent the older woman a brittle smile. "Who knew there was a girl hiding under that mop of hair and baggy shirts?"

"Gram." Quickly losing patience, and ready to head out before anyone from the neighborhood decided to drop in, Letty eyed her boots at the door.

With eyes like a hawk, Adele shook her head while picking up a bowl of pasta salad off the hall table. "Don't even think it Niña, one day is all I ask for you to look like my Granddaughter and not my Grandson."

Taking the bowl from her, Letty kept her mouth shut and followed her out of the house. Her eyes instinctively moved up the street to the Toretto's and felt a pull in her chest. True to her word she hadn't stepped foot on the property in the last five weeks. It'd been the longest five weeks of her life, but she'd be damned if Dom thought she was just another neighborhood chic who thought he was a God or something. Even worse, she now knew he thought she was some kind of clueless little girl who stalked him because of some lame crush.

Not that it changed anything, but Letty felt a little bad for Mia. Being the only girl in a crowd of boys, who practically lived at the Toretto house, wasn't exactly easy. Even though Letty wasn't like other girls, it never hurt to have backup.

"Did Tony get a new car?" Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Letty nearly walked into the back of her Grandmother before looking up in horror as her Grandmother put a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun and stare up the street. Nothing got past the older woman when it came to neighborhood gossip. She knew everything about everyone.

"I dunno." Moving past her to the driveway, Letty chanced a look over her shoulder to where Mr. Toretto, Dom and the guys were gathered around a black Charger. The body of the car looked rough, but if there was anyone who could bring that baby back from the brink of death, it was Tony Toretto. "Come on Gram, we don't want to be late."

"Why don't you get into the car, I need to ask Tony a question." The words were barely out of her Grandmother's mouth when Letty nearly tripped over her own feet. Out of all the times Abuelita needed to have a word with Tony Toretto, it had to be when she was dressed like some Latina baby doll.

"Crap." Grumbling under her breath, Letty eyed the distance between herself and her Grandmother's old clunker, determining if she had enough time to make it to the passenger seat before the guy's attention were drawn away from the car they were working on. The last thing she needed was to give Dom any more ammunition, dressed like she was would only provide him a month of laughs at her expense.

Moving quickly over the pavement, wincing a few times when a sharp rock poked into her bare feet, Letty somehow managed to get the passenger door open without spilling the salad. She was almost home free when Mia called out.

Torn between pretending she hadn't heard her friend's greeting, and not wanting to hurt Mia's feelings, Letty closed her eyes and groaned in defeat. "Being shot would be less painful than this." Shutting the door with a little more force than she intended, Letty tried not to glare at her friend.

Walking the short distance to the Toretto's felt like miles. She swore she could feel the stares the others were giving her. Trying to act as though the attention didn't bother her, Letty passed the boys who were still gathered at the curb near the car to where Mia was waiting for her on the front porch.

"You look great." A knowing smile crossed Mia's face, making Letty's eyes instantly narrow.

"Bite me." Grumbling low enough so her Grandmother didn't hear, Letty sent Mia a disgruntled look. "You couldn't have just let me get in the car? Do you hate me or something?"

"Naw." A cheeky grin spread across Mia's face. "Just wanted a little payback for sticking me here with all this testosterone."

"You know I'm gonna get even with you right?" Crossing her arms over her chest, Letty wished her Grandmother would hurry up so they could go. She knew the guys were staring by the way the hair on the back of her neck tingled. It would only be a matter of minutes before one of them said something. She'd really hate to get her dress dirty fighting one of the block heads on the Toretto's lawn.

"Dad's got a race next weekend; please tell me you're coming." Leaning against the porch post, Mia gave her a pleading look.

"It would serve you right if I didn't." Letty scowled.

"Come on." Mia huffed. "You look great, I don't see what all the fuss is about."

"I look like . . ." Not able to find the words, Letty looked down at herself, a little shocked when she noticed she was showing some cleavage.

"A girl." Mia answered dryly. "News flash Let, you are a girl and its okay to look like one on occasion."

"Whatever." Still a little shocked over actually having tits, Letty frowned before looking up.

"You should see Dom's face." Dropping her voice, Mia leaned in. "It's priceless."

"Why? Is he suffocating on his laughter?"

"Maybe his tongue." Mia smirked, her eyes shifting away quickly, letting Letty know they were being watched.

"Yeah, you caught me. I got all dolled up to impress your douchebag of a brother." Feeling her cheeks burn, Letty growled at Mia's knowing look. "Shut it."

"I didn't say a word."

"You don't have to; your face can't hide shit."

"Leticia what have I told you about that language?" Feeling her shoulders tense, Letty looked over at Mia who was trying not to laugh. Figures her Grandmother would take her sweet time until she cursed. "Come on, we're going to be late. Thank you Tony, Leticia will be there after school on Monday."

Turning to look at her Grandmother over her shoulder, Letty wondered what she was up to. She'd been on her case as to why she'd stopped hanging out at the Toretto's. At first she'd at least pretended to be sneaky about it, by only asking an occasional question or making some vague comment to get her to talk. But the last week had been one lecture after another about how unhealthy it was to hold onto anger.

She wanted to question her, ask what she meant, but instead when she turned around her eyes fell on Dom and for the life of her she couldn't make her tongue work. He'd been staring at her; she knew he had been when he suddenly found something interesting on the engine block to inspect. Instead of the mocking reaction she'd anticipated, she couldn't help but notice the slight blush moving up his neck.

Interesting.

"Nice outfit Leticia." Vince's sugar sweet reply made her eyes cut to the other boy, her hand itching to make contact with the side of his head.

"Nice smell V, when's the last time you bathed?" She responded back under her breath so her Grandmother didn't hear her.

"Did you get all dressed up for anyone in particular?" Vince really didn't know when to stop, and before she could respond he earned himself a smack to the back of the head from Tony.

"Mind your manners and stop taunting her." Tony gave Vince a hard glare until he was sure his message was sent before turning to her. "Don't listen to him Letty. You look great."

"Thanks Mr. Toretto." Moving down the sidewalk to where her Grandmother was waiting, she didn't wait long before receiving yet another lecture on her language.

OXO

Waiting until his father was out of range, Vince leaned over the hood of the car. "What the fuck was that?"

Pretending not to know what Vince was talking about, Dom cleaned the wrench with the front of his shirt before responding. "What?"

"Since when does the Shadow dress like a girl?" For some reason Vince's words didn't sit well with Dom.

"Stop calling her that." Dom's said his voice low.

"Why?" Taken aback, Vince stopped fiddling with the engine to send Dom a questioning look. "You call her that all the time."

"Yeah, well if you haven't noticed she hasn't been around in weeks." Tossing the wrench into the toolbox, Dom ran his hands down the front of his jeans. His eyes moved over to Letty as she slipped into her Grandmother's car. It'd been over a month since their fight, and in that time the most she'd said to him was 'fuck off' when he tried one more time to apologize.

It confused the hell out of him. He should be relieved, after the years of bitching about having a little girl attached to his side; she was finally giving him the space he wanted. The first week he'd still felt bad about yelling at her for his own stupidity. By the end of the second week he realized he was still expecting her to come through the backdoor. After that, he found himself on edge, irritated at her for her damn stubbornness.

He was starting to wonder if it perhaps she hadn't been lying when she'd said she was done with his shit. That it wasn't just another Letty sized snit.

Not realizing that Vince was talking, Dom shook his head and swung his attention back to his friend. "Who knew she had tits."

For the life of him he didn't know why he did it. But the second the words came out of Vince's fat mouth, his fist connected with the side of his friend's face.

"What the fuck was that for?" Holding his jaw, staring back in shock, Vince bent over for a minute before straightening back up.

"Show some respect." Stunned himself, it was the only thing Dom could scrape up to say. "What would you do if someone talked about your sister like that?"

"My sister's a slut." Vince muttered, trying to move his jaw.

"Well Letty isn't." Trying to ignore the looks from Leon and Jesse, as well as Vince's penetrating glare, Dom shut the lid on the toolbox.

He wanted to add that Letty was a little girl, but for some reason the words felt wrong on his tongue and refused to budge. Feeling like shit for hitting Vince over saying exactly what he'd been thinking a few minutes before, Dom felt like kicking something.

The dress itself had been a shock enough. When she'd come over when Mia called out, he could tell by the straightness of her back that she anticipated some sort of comment. He'd been waiting for his father to be far enough away before he said anything, but when his eyes landed back to where she was standing the first thing he noticed was the gentle swell of her hips.

It had taken him aback. He never thought of Letty of having woman parts. So it took him a few minutes to process what exactly he was staring at. When Mia's eyes connected with his over Letty's head, he felt as though he'd been caught staring at some nudie magazine.

After that it was like he'd lost all control. Unable to stop himself from looking over when he thought the coast was clear, he let his eyes travel down her body. He couldn't help but appreciate how the curve at her hips, or the way she suddenly developed an ass.

When she turned around, he nearly froze. He knew for damn sure her tits weren't like that a month ago. The top of the halter dress did amazing things, creating cleavage that made his mouth go dry.

Maybe it was the baggy clothes she always wore. She always seemed to wear t-shirts a few sizes too big. Her jeans were just about as loose fitting as the tops, and stained with grease. It seemed Letty Ortiz had been holding out on them, and at that moment Dom didn't know how he felt about it.

"Yo, Dom." Leon yelled from the top of the driveway. "You coming, or are you gonna stand there all day?"

Letting out a sigh and picking up his toolbox, Dom nodded up at his friends and moved to join them.

OXO


	3. Chapter 3

Letty knew her Grandmother was set in her ways, but she never realized the woman had a sadistic streak in her as well. Dragging her feet as she approached Tony's shop which was attached to the garage, she hitched her backpack up on her shoulder and wondered how Abuelita could possibly think this was a good idea. On a good day her social skills left a lot to be desired, so to actually think she could work at Tony's kstorewithout punching someone in the face seemed like both adults were tempting fate.

It wasn't like she walked around looking for a fight, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stand around like some punching bag for other people's amusement. She hated the way people stared at her, like she was some kind of freaky bug they'd wiped off the bottom of their shoe. They were no better than she was, living in the same neighborhood that also seemed to be on the brink of poverty. But apparently it made them feel better to diss her, the daughter of a coke whore and a deadbeat dad.

Oh, she'd heard the whispers behind her back for as long as she could remember. It didn't matter that she didn't remember much of that time before she'd been sent to live with her Grandmother. Couldn't recall how it'd taken three days for the authorities to pull their heads out of their asses and realize the dead body in the morgue had a seven year old daughter waiting at home for her mother to come back. All that mattered to them, was she was beneath them because of a circumstance out of her control.

Guilt by association, that's all it boiled down to. She'd always carry her mother's sins with her, the only time she felt the past wasn't glued to her like some freaking shadow was with the Toretto's. There she could be herself. Let her guard down. Be a part of the unit that deep down she starved for.

It was why Dom's words that day had hurt so bad. Sure he'd yelled at her before. His temper always was brewing just under his skin. But never had his eyes looked at her with such disgust and loathing before. Making her feel like dirt beneath his treds. In just seconds he turned her only sanctuary from the world into the last place on earth she wanted to be.

Eyeing the store in front of her again, her upper lip curled. What she should do was ditch this horrible set up and just go home. Her Grandmother said she'd gotten her the job to help pay for Driver's Ed. Perhaps that was some of the reason, but Letty wasn't stupid, she knew there were alternative motives. Like forcing her and Dom to be in the same zip code until she cracked and let go of her anger towards him. Well, it was a lame assed idea, she thought bitterly, she may not have much choice, seeing that if she wanted to get her license in six months the driving course was mandatory. But she sure as hell wasn't going to make nice with that arrogant blockhead who had shit of brains.

Letting out a deep breath she stiffened her spine and took the last ten steps into the shop with her head held high. Pride refused to let Dom see how he affected her.

"Letty." Mia was already behind the counter, her school books spread out on the empty counter. "Nice skirt."

Mia's eyes had that knowing look again, and Letty would be lying if she said it didn't burn just a little. Apparently working at the store also meant she had to dress appropriately, or at least that's what Adele had lectured as Letty glared at the black garbage bag of hand-me-down clothes her cousin had given her. Cast offs for the cast off, how freaking fitting.

Not one to just roll over and except the situation, she'd asserted her own independence by taking a pair of shears to some of the clothing and made what she had felt at the time were the needed adjustments to make the clothing hers. Perhaps she'd gotten a little carried away with the skirt she was wearing, cutting off more than she intended, but there was no way in hell she'd ever admit to it.

Lifting her chin a little, Letty forced herself shrug. "It's just clothes."

"Well I think you look great." Closing her books she stacked them before slipping them into her bag. "Dad wanted me to show you the ropes."

"Scared I'm gonna scare away the customers?" A slow smirk moved across her face as they shared a knowing look.

"He didn't exactly use those words." Mia shrugged, letting her sentence fade. "I guess we could start here. I need to prep for the dinner rush."

Brow crunching in disgust, Letty knew fighting the inevitable was useless. Moving around the counter and tossing her bag next to Mia's, she shifted her eyes to where her friend was pulling out produce from one of the coolers. "You know I can't cook."

"Letty that's an understatement, I've seen you burn toast, multiple times."

"Isn't you Dad scared I'm gonna burn the place down or some shit?" Taking the tomato Mia practically shoved into her hands, she stared down at the object in question.

"It's not like there's a lot of cooking." Mia rolled her eyes. "We mostly do sandwiches and the occasional burger. Dad figures if the customers want something more elaborate they can hit up one of the fast food joints up the road. Stop staring at the tomato and cut it."

Making another face, Letty grabbed the knife and went to work. "Did you hear about Felix's party this weekend?"

Looking over her shoulder to the office that joined the garage and store, Mia dropped her voice. "Yeah, heard a few girls talking about it in math this afternoon." The corners of her mouth pinched as she looked at Letty from the corner of her eye. "How'd you hear about it?"

Trying to act nonchalant, Letty finished slicing up the tomato and grabbed another one before finishing. "Felix told me about it."

"Didn't know you and Felix were friends." The words weren't meant to be mean, but it just rubbed Letty the wrong way.

"We're not." Cutting a little more harshly than she'd intended, Letty gritted her teeth.

"Quick, someone grab a camera, Letty's got a skirt on." Vince appeared out of nowhere, making both girls jump and turn in unison to glare at him.

"Real mature Vince." Shaking her head in disgust, Mia turned back to the counter. "Don't you have anything better to do, like your job?"

"Got thirsty." He muttered as he headed to the coolers. "Did I hear you two talking about a party?"

Letty looked at Mia, before looking to the office door. The last person they needed knowing about the party would be Vince. The guy had a big mouth on him and never knew when to keep his trap shut.

"Party? What party?" Trying to look as innocent as she could, Letty blinked guilelessly in Vince's direction. "You know that Mia and I would never be able to go to a party." And that was putting it mildly. To successfully get away with something as monumental as an unsupervised party, not only would they need to fool Tony, but Adele. It would be a challenge, but if Vince or worse, Dom got wind of their plans they would be dead in the water.

Narrowing his dark eyes in suspicion, Vince twisted the cap off his coke. "Yo, Dom."

"Fuck." Muttering under her breath, casting Mia an annoyed look, Letty contemplated the many ways she was going to make Vince pay. So far her first day at the store was starting off pretty good. No customers and no Dom, how could she ask for more?

"Will you stop yelling?" Sweeping through the office, Dom joined Vince at the coolers. "Dad's got a customer in the back."

"Girls are planning on going to a party." Vince motioned in the girl's direction with his soda, as Dom's eyes followed.

"Sure hope it's a birthday party." His voice was low, while his brows inched up slightly. "With cake, balloons and clowns."

"There's no party." Mia lied, rolling her eyes and moving to the other counter to grab a bag of rolls. "That's what Vince gets for eavesdropping."

"Nah, man." Vince shook his head, refusing to back down. "I heard Letty loud as day, some guy named Felix is throwing it."

Letty felt Dom's eyes narrow in on her, and she met his gaze head on. His coveralls were tied at the waist, and his white tank was smeared in engine grease. Their staring contest lasted until Dom shook his head and chuckled under his breath. He looked as though he was about to say something when a group of neighborhood kids flocked in.

Sending them one last look he nudged a protesting Vince from behind toward the office. Letty let out a long breath when the door slammed behind them and they disappeared into the back.

OXO

"Dom, I'm telling you they were talking about a party." Vince growled under his breath. On opposite sides of Mr. Lopez's Camry, leaning under the hood, Vince looked put out that his friend hadn't reacted the way he thought he would.

"What do you want me to do?" Dom grunted as he tested the wires from the alternator, seeing if there was any juice. "They said they weren't. I can't force them to tell the truth."

"So that's it?" With a confused expression, Vince lifted his head to stare.

Seeing how Vince wasn't going to be dropping the subject anytime soon, Dom scanned the area to make sure his Dad was still out front before looking back. "Why do you care?"

Vince's head jerked back a little. "Cause, Mia's like a sister. You know how messed up some of those parties get."

With a neutral expression, Dom tossed the voltmeter on the cart next to him. "Letty would be there for backup."

"You think?" Vince huffed. "Who's gonna be there to back up Letty? Can't believe you're acting like this." Shaking his head, Vince pushed away from the car and grabbed his drink.

"Like what?"

"All laid back and shit." Vince scowled. "You've made it a point over the last few years how it's our responsibility to take care of Mia and Letty. Now they're talking about parties, Letty's wearing shit that making me uncomfortable -."

This got Dom's attention, as he shot a look over at his friend. "She wore a dress that one time, two days ago."

"Apparently you didn't see the skirt she's wearing today." Vince's upper lip curled. "Sure hope she didn't go to school like that."

Blinking a few times, Dom looked over his shoulder toward the shop. When he'd gotten a drink, Letty had been behind the counter. Vince's words brought a more pressing question to mind. "Why do you care what Letty wears?"

Looking at him as though he'd grown a third head, Vince shot back. "Man, I wouldn't. But you're the one who's been drilling it into our heads how it's our responsibility to keep an eye on Mia and Letty. All I'm sayin' is that if she's gonna dress like that, it's gonna make our jobs pretty tough."

Hearing someone approach, they shared a look before making themselves look busy. "Dom?" His Dad moved into the garage. "We just got a delivery, I need you to show Letty how to stock the walk-in."

Sharing a confused look with Vince, Dom grabbed a towel before turning in his Dad's direction. "Why can't Mia do that?"

"She's manning the counter." Tony leveled a hard look at his son.

"I was about to change out the alternator." Nodding at the car still parked in the bay, Dom watched as an amused smile spread across his father's face.

"I don't think Mr. Lopez would appreciate that." Sarcasm dripped from his lips as he joined the boys at the car. "Seeing that it's the battery."

Shooting a warning glance at Vince who was scoffing at him from under his breath, Dom shifted his eyes to the car. "How would you know? You haven't even looked at it yet."

"That's why I own the garage and you only work here." Tony said dryly. "On that subject, I think I told you to go and do something."

Seeing he wasn't getting out of it, Dom gritted his teeth and moved toward the office. His heavy boots scuffed over the cement floor as he tried to ignore his wounded pride. It'd been a long time since he'd made such a stupid mistake. How the fuck did he forget to check the battery?

Spotting Mia at the counter serving a few customers, he leaned his forearm against the doorframe. "Where's Let?"

"She's moving the boxes into the walk-in." Turning her back on him, back to the customer, Dom let his arm drop as he moved his eyes to the corner where the delivery was usually stacked. There was a group of boys near the chip aisle, who seemed more interested with something at the end of the aisle, and when he followed their gazes, he let out a low curse before moving away from the doorframe.

"That aint for sale." He muttered to the boys as he stalked past, barely slowing his stride. "You have one minute to find something to buy before I boot your asses out of the store." Not bothering to see if they took his threat seriously, a deep growl came from his chest. "What the fuck do you think you're donin' Let?"

"What does it look like dumbass?" Hefting up one of the heavy boxes, Letty moved to the open door that led to the walk-in. "I'm trying to give myself a hernia."

"Funny, here I thought you were trying to give the neighborhood a shot of you panties." Taking the box from her, Dom glared down at her shocked expression as he stomped through the door and dropped the box. Moving back to the stack, he shook his head at her before hoisting up the next box. "Jesus I know this girl thing is new to you, but you had to feel the draft."

"Screw you Dom." Blowing her bangs out of her face, she moved her heating glare from where Dom stood glowering over her shoulder to a group of boys who were all staring her way.

"Did I stutter?" He snapped at the boys who bolted from the store without another look. Looking down at her skirt, Dom shook his head and disappeared back in the cooler.

Humiliation washed over Letty, as it slowly dawned on her what had happened. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she let out a long breath before forcing her feet to move to where she heard Dom slamming things around.

Standing in the entry way, she pushed aside her embarrassment. "I thought I was supposed to learn how to do this." Moving over to the box he'd ripped open, she went to reach for one of the sodas.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out." Dom muttered as he shoved a soda into the tray.

"Then why don't you go back to the garage and let me do this." The sooner he left the better, at least that's how Letty saw it. It was easier to pretend she hadn't just practically mooned the entire store if she was alone.

"Why, do you plan on doing a strip tease next?" Ramming the plastic bottle into the slot he leaned over and grabbed another.

"Just drop it." Shoving her bottle behind the one he'd just placed, Letty shot him a glare. "It's not like I fucking meant to do that. You're acting like you caught me giving some random a hand job or something."

The soda dropped from Dom's hands the second the words slipped past her lips. The vein on the side of his left temple popped out slightly. "Jesus." Making a face like he'd just licked the cement floor he rubbed the back of his neck before speaking again. "Where the hell did you pick that up from?"

"You." Letty snapped curtly, before going back to moving the merchandise from the box to the shelf. "You, Vince, Leon and Jesse are always talking like that around me. I don't see why'd you be so shocked."

"Cause it doesn't sound right when you say it." Still looking slightly ill, Dom snatched the last soda from the carton before kicking off the stack and opening the next box.

"Well excuse the fuck out of me." Her eyes widened slightly in mock innocence. "Didn't realize there were rules when it came to talking about hand jobs."

"Guys." Sticking her head into the cooler, Mia shot the pair her no nonsense look. "We've got customer's out here, and I don't think they want to hear you two talking about hand jobs." Staring each one of them down, Mia slammed the door and the cooler fell silent.

Neither talked as they emptied the boxes, and the tension inside the cooler escalated until Dom couldn't take another minute of her not talking. "So what party was Vince talking about?"

"Clean out your ears Dom." Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Letty tossed another empty box onto the already growing stack. "I already told you there wasn't one."

"You know Pops doesn't want Mia at those things." Not for one second believing a word that came out of her pouty little mouth, Dom watched as she struggled to fit a bottle onto the top rack.

"Gee you don't say." Standing on her tip toes, Letty refused to ask for his help.

"You're both too young." Reaching for the bottle in her hand, he let out a frustrated grunt when she elbowed him in the stomach. "I was just trying to help."

"Well maybe I don't want your help. Maybe I'm trying to do what you asked me to." Frowning, she tried again to reach the top shelf.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Tired of seeing her struggle, he quickly snatched the bottle and put it in its place before she could inflict anymore bodily damage on his person.

Turning to face him, her hands firmly planted on her hips, Letty sent him a disbelieving look. "You're screwing with me. Estupido idiota de mierda."

"Did you just call me an idiot?"

"No." Letty's lips curved up into a saccharine sweet smile. "I called you a fucking idiot. You don't even know what you said to me do you?"

Knowing she was talking about their last blowout, Dom grit his teeth together. "I said a lot of things, and I already told you I was sorry."

Not ready for the fist Letty delivered to his gut, Dom grunted in surprise.

"That's why I didn't accept your lame ass apology." Feeling her anger taking over her ability to be rational, Letty stomped on his foot, only to find that the sandals she was wearing didn't exactly do too much damage. "You're such a douche."

Horrified to feel her eyes start to sting with unshed tears, Letty wanted to kick him in the shin, but instead turned on her heel and stormed out of the cooler and out the door. Dom followed her as far as the counter and slammed his fist down on the worn Formica top.

"I don't know what the hell you two were doing in there but Mrs. Peters was so shocked I think she swallowed her tongue." Mia said dryly as she watched Letty turn the corner and disappear. "Good news, I don't think Dad's gonna have you two stock the cooler ever again." Sending her brother a brittle smile, Mia opened her school book and ignored Dom's angry glare.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, your feedback is amazing. Thank you all so much. I will be honest, I didn't edit this. I have Legal Studies homework and really don't want to get behind on updating this story. I hope this isn't going too slow, or worse is coming off as some kind of Mary Sue story.

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School had always been a nightmare for Letty. From the first time her Grandmother had taken her by the hand and walked her into her new school, she'd become painfully aware of how different she was from the other students. The girls avoided her because she liked to wear boys clothing and thought skipping rope was a waste of time. The boys avoided her because they thought she was a freak for wanting to play basketball with them. They all laughed at her because she wasn't able to read the simplest of sentences, or do the most basic math.

Eight years later and nothing much changed. The girls called her a dike behind her back, and the boys no longer registered her existence. She still struggled to keep up in classes that the other students seemed to have no problems with. When she'd entered High School she flat out refused to be put into another reject class, fought her Grandmother tooth and nail to be in the regular classes with the other kids. She wasn't freaking stupid and had been tired of being treated by the student body like she was.

Sitting in class, her head resting on the palm of her hand, Letty struggled to keep her eyes open. Letting out a long yawn, she paused when several students looked her way.

"What?" Hissing at them, her eyes cold with hate, Letty stared them down, one by one until they turned their attention back to the front.

"So you coming to my party this weekend?" Felix leaned over the aisle when the teacher's back was turned.

Not bothering to look in his direction because it would take too much effort, Letty sighed in annoyance before shrugging her shoulders.

"You should." Apparently persistent and a little more than daring he reached over and tugged on a piece of her hair. "You can hang out with me."

Moving her head to yank her hair out of his grasp, Letty sent him a disbelieving glance. "Did I give you permission to touch me?"

Instead of taking the hint, Felix let out a low laugh at her angry expression. "Not yet."

It hit her like a wet towel in the face that he was attempting to flirt with her. Not knowing how she felt about this new development, she turned her attention back to the front of the room and tried to give the teacher her undivided attention.

"It's gonna be like that?" Feeling his leg nudge her knee, Letty felt her face grow warm.

Not liking how his actions were confusing her, Letty chanced a look in his direction. "Be like what?"

"Play hard to get?" His words made her uncomfortable, the way he was looking at her made her want to grab her shit and bolt from the room.

"I ain't playin' nothing. Trying to pay attention." Nodding to where the teacher was writing on the blackboard, she pretended to jot down notes.

"Come on Ortiz, just say yes. If you don't I'll just keep asking."

Their whispered conversation was gaining the attention from a few of the other students, and Letty didn't like the smirks growing across their faces. There was a part of her who wanted to just say yes to make him shut his trap. The other part of her knew if Dom caught wind of it there'd be hell to pay.

The last few days at the store had been unbearable. Their icy indifference to one another was starting to wear thin on Mia and Mr. Toretto, who made it his daily mission to throw her and his son onto some task that needed to get done. Each time it ended like it had in the cooler, with one of them walking away ready to punch a hole in the wall. The only constant in their forced partnership was his questions about the party Vince had heard her talking to Mia about.

Dom had made it very clear she wouldn't like the consequences if he found out either she or Mia went. His threat always sent a chill down her spin as she tried to think up what exactly he would do if she were to go. It was stupid, really, considering he'd probably just rat them out.

"Ortiz." Felix sung under his breath. "You gonna come or not?"

Seriously, what's the worst that could happen? Letty thought as she chewed on the cap of her pen. Dom told on them and she got grounded for a few weeks? So what, it wasn't like her social calendar was jam packed.

"I'll even come pick you up." Rolling her eyes at his offer, Letty swallowed the laugh threatening to slip out of her mouth. Yeah, that would be just swell. "Or if you want, I we can meet up somewhere." Now that may be doable, Letty pondered.

"If, and I mean if I went I'm bringing a friend." Finally answering him from the corner of her mouth, Letty slouched down in her seat, careful to keep her knees together. She'd learned her lesson the last time she wore a skirt and wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Her reply brought a smile to his lips. "The more the merrier. Who's your friend."

"Mia Toretto." This seemed to make him pale, as his eyes widened just a bit. It seemed to take him a minute to gather his composure.

"Dom's little sister?"

"Yup." Seeing he was thinking it over, and taking a little too long, Letty lifted her shoulders into a shrug. "She don't go, I don't go."

"Fine." He didn't seem as thrilled as he'd been a few minutes before. "I'll find you at lunch to nail down the specifics."

For the rest of the class Letty tried to stay awake.

OOXOO

Glancing up at the clock for the third time in the last half hour, Dom sighed and turned his attention back to the car in front of him. It was already Friday and he knew it was the last day he'd be able to talk to Letty before the weekend.

Rubbing his forehead with the back of his arm, he cursed under his breath before tossing spark plugs onto the cart. So far he hadn't been able to pry any information out of Mia, no matter how hard he pushed. He'd almost lost it the night before, when Mia jabbed him in the chest and told him to mind his own business before slamming her bedroom door in his face.

Letty was like a freaking stone fortress. The walls she'd built against him over the last few weeks were strong. It didn't stop him from trying to get her to fess up, but inevitably his asking turned into a battle where neither side won.

It was like both girls had formed some kind of freaking united front against him. For as long as he could remember he'd never been shut out of their lives like he was now. It didn't sit well with him, and he couldn't figure out how to fix it.

"Dom." Rushing through the open bay door, Vince cast a careful look around to make sure they were alone. Leon and Jesse jogged through the opening right after Vince, both looking uneasy. "I know who's party the girls were talking about and you aint gonna like it."

That dull clamping feeling in the pit of his stomach ached again, and Dom knew without a doubt something bad was about to go down. "Who's?"

"Felix Garcia." Leon spat out the boy's name like it was venom.

The name seemed familiar, but for the life of him he didn't know why. "We know him?"

"He's Mateo Gracia's younger brother." Fidgeting, his face looking unnaturally white, Jesse crossed and uncrossed his arms before letting them drop to his side.

"Jesus." Squeezing his eyes shut, Dom tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Mateo had been a few years older than him and Vince, and had been busted for being part of some gang related drive by shooting. They'd killed a few kids and completely missed their target.

"You've got to tell Tony." Vince's tone was a little tight, as though the thought of running to Dom's Dad was a fate worse than death. "That entire family is neck deep in gang shit."

"I ain't gonna rat them out." Letting out a long breath, Dom glanced at the office door, grateful his dad was busy with paperwork.

"Fuck Dom, they can't go to that party." Eyes wide, Leon paled at the thought. "From what I hear it aint gonna be some High School mixer."

"I know that." Stuck. He was freaking stuck and he hated it. Why the hell couldn't Mia and Letty just stay little girls? It made his life so much easier.

"There's something else." Vince grumbled as Jesse nudged him from behind.

"What?"

"Seems this Felix guy is sweet on Letty and not in the cute he's got a crush on her kinda of way." Vince's words did funny things to the inside of Dom's chest, making it hard to breath. Apparently Vince was having a similar reaction, which explained his unnatural response to pull his Dad into the mess. For as long as Dom had known Vince he'd had an unhealthy distrust of adults, the only exception had been his Dad and even then his trust only went so far.

Vince's mouth was moving and it took Dom a minute to catch onto his words. "The little punks been going around telling everyone who'll listen that he's gonna pop Letty's cherry."

Feeling his brows nearly hit his hairline, Dom crossed his arms over his chest and stomped down the urge to jump in his car, find that little fucker and have a chat. At the same time, he had a startling revelation. Somehow, in the many years he'd known Letty, she'd stopped being some kid who'd hitched onto him and the family. She'd become family, part of a small, elite crew he considered his. Sure she was a pain in the ass sometimes, so wasn't Vince, Leon and Jesse.

"Dom, man, this is some serious shit." Jesse didn't look too good; his face was sheet white as beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead to his neck.

"Jesse's right." Leon piped in, nodding at his friend. "It just aint some High School kid we're dealing with. The Garcia's run in a pack and most of them wouldn't think twice about squeezing off a few rounds in our heads."

"So we don't let the girls go, if we have to we sit on them to keep them safe." Vince muttered, running a hand over his head.

"Aint gonna work." Dom sighed, wishing it were that easy. God he wish it were. "If we cut them off, they're only gonna get pissy with us, thinking we're trying to run their lives." Seeing their questioning looks, Dom lifted his thick shoulders and let them fall. "Think about it, when we were back and school and were forbidden to do something what would we do?"

"Find a way to make it happen." Leon groused.

"Exactly." Dom nodded at his friend. "They'll see it as us being overly protective douchebags. It may keep them safe this time, but they'd sure as hell find a way to be more sneakier the next time. Plus, it wouldn't stop this fucktard from wanting Letty."

"What are you suggesting? Let them go and then go storm the castle?" Jesse didn't look as though he like the idea, not at all.

"If that's what we gotta do." Not liking the idea much either, Dom wished they'd known this bit of intel days ago. He might've been able to come up with something a little less stupid. "Vince, get in touch with Hector. See if him and his boys would be willing to back us up."

"Gotcha."

Already heading for his car, Dom called out. "If he hesitates, tell him I'll work on his engine, fix that little issue he's having." Not wasting time to reply, Vince lifted his hand high in the air in acknowledgment.

"Dom are you sure 'bout this?" Scratching at the back of his head, Leon shook his head. "Throwing down with a bunch of gang members sounds kinda dumb to me."

Dom couldn't blame Leon for thinking this, the same thought was going through his head. "If you got anything else, that won't end up with those two making it more difficult in the future tell me. I'm all ears."

Leon exchanged a glance with Jesse. "Crap."

"Yeah." Hearing movement from behind the closed office door, Dom nodded toward the open door indicating they needed to make scarce.

OXO

Letty knew Dom was up to something. For one, he was being way too nice. It didn't matter how many times she'd tried to provoke him, he kept his cool. They'd been on inventory duty for the last half hour. The first fifteen minutes they'd worked in total silence. The only break had been when he'd asked her to hand him the next page, jerk even said please. After that, Letty couldn't take much more and threw caution to the wind and poked the sleeping bear with a pointy stick.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" A little frustrated that he'd stopped playing by the rules they'd adopted over the last few days, Letty sent a frosty glare in his direction. He was always the one to open his big fat mouth, it rubbed her the wrong way that he hadn't.

"Nothing." To anyone else he was the perfect picture of calmness. But Letty had known him too long, and noticed the way his fingers clenched around the pen he was using. "Just doing my job."

Even more irritated that he hadn't taken the bait, Letty huffed and counted the cans of Spaghetti-O's. Calculating what she could possibly say to end his insufferable silence, she really couldn't find much she could say without sounding like a complete moron.

"Just spit it out." Tapping her pen on the clip board she'd been using, Letty grit her teeth when he gave her a blank stare. "God you're so frustrating."

This seemed to humor him, except his eyes betrayed him. There was something on Dom's mind.

"I'm frustrating because I refuse to argue with you?" With a slight shake of his head, Dom set his attention back to the merchandise he'd been counting. After writing down his last numbers, he let out a long sigh. "Maybe I'm tired of fighting with you? Did you ever think of that?"

His words felt like a slap in the face. As though he'd physically shoved her and it stunned Letty into silence. Sure they'd been on the outs, because of his cruel words and inability to remember exactly what he'd said to her. That he'd expected her to just forgive him because he threw some empty apology in her direction. But it seemed her temper had pushed him too far. That he'd given up. The sting of it made her chest ache.

"Fine." Setting the clipboard down on the top shelf, Letty hurried over to the counter and retrieved her bag. "Whatever."

Dom watched in disbelief as Letty strode out the door with her head held high. Blinking a few times he turned to look at Mia, searching for some kind of answer as to why Letty had stormed off this time.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?" Mia said scathingly.

"I didn't say anything." Dom protested, wondering if maybe both females had been infected with a dose of crazy in the last week. "I was actually being nice."

The look on his sister's face clearly said she didn't believe a word he said, as she turned her back on him and pretended to work.

Tossing his tally's next to the ones Letty abandoned, Dom muttered under his breath. "Fuck this." As he headed back to the garage.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I have gotten a few replies that Letty is acting childish and in reality, I'm intentionally doing that. Right now Letty is almost sixteen and couldn't always be the bad ass she is today. In my head, Letty, the grown one that is, is a headstrong survivor who doesn't trust easily. Somewhere along the line, in her life, I feel that Dom had to have proven himself to her to let her give him the Alpha lead on her life.**

**Someone else said I should lock them in a room. Truth be told I kinda wanted to lock them in the walk-in cooler. But Dom's transition is still taking place. To me he's this nineteen year old guy who basically does what his Dad says to keep his ass from being chewed and bed to sleep in, in the Toretto household. His role, as the leader and the responsibilities that come with it are just dawning on him. While his Dad's words are forming the man he'll become.**

**Basically they are all still teens. They didn't become badasses over night. Teams, like the one they become, are created over time. I'm just trying to create the before picture. But never fear, I have lots of juicy good bits coming up.**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Mia muttered under her breath before popping a fry in her mouth and chewing it slowly. In true Mia fashion she was already contemplating the potential fallout after already committing.

"Jesus." Poking at her food, Letty sighed and shifted her eyes to her friend. "Felix is supposed to be here in twenty, please don't tell me you're backing out."

Eyes widening a little, Mia shook her head. "I didn't say that. Can you drop the attitude? I'm not Dom, there's no need to bite my head off."

Hating the way her stomach dropped at just the mere mention of his name, Letty shoved her plate away. She was pretty sure if she actually consumed anything there was a damn good possibility she'd puke. "I know you're not Dom, I actually like you."

"You like Dom too." Mia's tone was hard, the one she used when she didn't want to hear an argument. "And you can deny it all you want, but you like him too."

"Yeah, whatever." Letty didn't want to talk about this, not right now. "So are you backing out or what?"

Looking like she was about to say yes, Mia's jaw set in a stubborn line. "No. I'm not. I don't think it's a good idea, but I know no matter what I say or do you'll go with or without me. What kind of sister would I be if I let you do this alone?"

A smart one, Letty thought grimly. A part of her wished that Mia had told her that she'd changed her mind. That going to the party was a stupid idea. It wasn't the party in itself that was eating at her gut, that part was simple. The part that made her uneasy was realizing the rough crowed Felix hung with.

Perhaps it was her nonexistent social status at school, but her first assumption of the boy who sat next to her in class had been dead wrong. But her head strong pride was like an angry beast, refusing to back down.

"We can leave anytime you want." Trying to be nonchalant about it, Letty sat back against the booth.

They sat in silence while Mia munched on a few fries, and Letty let her eyes wander around the small diner they were in. Every time the door opened her attention was pulled in the direction of the entrance, her heartbeat would increase until she could determine if the new patron was a familiar face. So far the only person she'd recognized was Mr. Clemmons, one of the local drunks who'd staggered up to the counter and dropped onto a stool before ordering.

It slowly dawned on her that she was nervous. Shifting uncomfortably on the plastic covered seat, Letty tried to push down the butterflies swarming inside her stomach, telling herself to get a grip, that she was being the kid Dom kept saying she was.

Trying to think about something, anything to keep her mind off what was really bugging her, she started to mentally design her dream car, from the frame down to the rims. Usually this technique calmed her nerves, gave her brain something to concentrate on.

But it was useless. The damn bugs in the tummy kept on fluttering and Letty gave up. With a defeated sigh, which got a strange look from Mia, Letty gave in and examined her sudden onslaught of nerves. Never in her life had she done anything like this. Mix her pathetic social skills in with her overly protective Grandmother, with a dash of her pariah standing with the rest of the kids her age, pretty much equaled a barren social life. Honestly, it had never bothered her before, because she always had Mia.

If her Grandmother was slightly protective, Tony Toretto was like an iron fisted General who kept his fortress locked down tight to ensure of his baby girl's safety. Over the years, Letty had been somehow pulled into his pool of kids, and his protection over her wellbeing had shielded her from some of the darker aspects of the neighborhood.

So yeah, lying to her Grandmother and to Mr. Toretto felt off. Felt like she was spitting in their faces and Letty really didn't like how that felt.

It was also the thought of mingling with a crowd of people who made it their life's mission to make her life a living hell over the years. Part of her wondered if Felix's invite was a set up. Like one of Mia's sappy girly movies where the socially awkward kid gets targeted for the other's general amusement. Only this time there was no happy ending.

Then the last dark thought flitted through Letty's mind, and she tried to push it away, not wanting to analyze it at all. But the more she resisted, the harder it pushed back. So after a few sullen moments, Letty caved.

It wasn't until she started wearing her cousin's stupid cast offs that anyone actually paid any attention to her. Felix had sat next to her in history class for almost four months without saying one word to her. The second she stopped wearing her standard baggy jean and shirts, he suddenly realized she existed.

And that really was throwing up the red flag.

"Maybe this is a stupid idea." Letty ignored her stubborn pride and opted to listen to her instincts.

A slow smile played at the corner of Mia's mouth. "Gee, you think?"

Letty's brows rose a fraction as Felix came striding through the door. "Crap, he's here."

Mia looked over her shoulder before looking back. "We'll just say there's been a change of plans, or that my brother found out and we can't go."

"Yeah, that doesn't make us sound like little kids." Wishing Mia hadn't mentioned Dom's name, Letty watched as Felix made a slow scan of the diner. "We could just go, make an appearance then bail. It's not like a six block hike is gonna kill us."

Mia chewed on the thought. "Well we did get all dressed up. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little interested in seeing what all the hype is about."

Felix had spotted them, as a cheesy smile snaked across his lips. Leaning forward, knowing they didn't have much time, Letty grinned. "We stick close, have a drink then bail."

Mia smiled conspiritally back just as Felix approached their table.

OXO

Sitting across the street from the small diner, Dom gritted his teeth when Felix Garcia swaggered up to the front door and disappeared inside. His eyes skipped down the street and spotted Vince's car before moving to the right to find where Hector was sitting in wait.

Turning the key to the ignition, Dom knew he needed to get going. Hector and his crew knew what they needed to do, follow Felix and the girls at a safe distance to make sure they arrived safe at Garcia's house. It was the one part of the plan he hated, but knowing if Mia or Letty caught sight of his or Vince's cars, they'd know without a doubt they'd been busted.

Slowing his car down as he passed Hector, he exchanged a small nod before gunning the engine.

OXO

Sitting shotgun, Letty tensed when Felix's hand moved across the empty space between them to rest on the middle of her thigh. Her first instinct was to punch him in the face, but seeing how he was driving she sent him a frosty glare that he caught and Letty smirked when his hand jerked back and settled back on the steering wheel.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Felix cleared this throat. "So you girls ready to party?"

Leaning forward a little, Mia asked. "Anyone we know gonna be there?"

Licking at his lips in what seemed to be a nervous reaction, Felix shrugged. "A few. Mostly one of my cousins and his . . . friends."

Letty's frown deepened. Felix had made it sound as though the party consisted mostly of kids from school, not a bunch of people they didn't know. Shifting her gaze to the rearview mirror, she caught Mia's eyes. Their plan may have to be executed a little earlier than planned.

When neither girl responded, Felix shifted slightly before talking. "You look tight." Letty felt him leering in her direction, and once again wanted to punch him. His words sounded fake to her ears, and when she turned to stare at him, she could see the hollowness in his eyes.

"Just what every girl wants to hear." Her voice was low, but her eyes let him know he was acting like a cheese ball. He got the message loud and clear, and instead of looking embarrassed, which had been her plan, his eyes suddenly hardened.

"Geez Ortiz, you need to loosen up. I was just trying to give you a compliment." Pulling up to a rundown looking house that looked as though it should have been condemned years ago, Letty scanned the property with a scowl. There were already people milling about, as music blared from somewhere in the backyard.

"You live here?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, with my cousin." Not seeming to catch onto their hesitation, Felix bounced out the car door. "Let the party begin."

OXO

Dom beat them to the party, and watched them from a few houses down as Felix pulled up to the curb. His eyes narrowed in on the girls as they vacated the car, not liking the look they were sharing. He knew the girls, knew more than he thought he did, and that uncomfortable exchange meant there was trouble.

Seeing Hector's car pass the mouth of the street, knowing he was doubling back, he swung his attention back on the little punk who was clearly hamming it up. Just like all other wanna be gangsters, the kid was acting the fool. He'd called out to a few people in the yard as he waited for the girls to join him, then he did something amazingly stupid. He swung his arm around Letty's tiny frame.

"You're digging your grave kid." Dom muttered just as Letty's sharp as hell elbow jammed into his side. This brought an evil smirk to Dom's lips. "Dumb ass punk, she don't like being touched by strangers."

A soft rap at the passenger window tore his attention away from the girls as Vince slid into the empty seat. "Everyone is ready."

"Leon and Jesse?"

"He and a few of Hector's guys down the block." Vince nodded. "They're ready to roll if we have any trouble."

"And Hector?"

Vince looked over his shoulder and Dom did the same. They both caught sight of Hector's sweet little ride about twenty yards away. "He's waiting for the signal."

"Good." Nodding, Dom swung his attention back around. Felix had put some space between him and Letty, but the hard set of the boys jaw let him know he didn't like looking the fool in front of his people.

"Remind me again why we aint just goin' in now and retrieving the girls?" Slouching down in his seat, Vince's mouth curled down. "I got why you didn't wanna let them know we were onto them, knew about the party. But we're here now, there aint many people. Seems like a good time to grab and ditch."

"Cause there's two reasons we're doing it this way." Drumming his fingers against his thigh, he didn't tear his gaze off the girls. "One, the more people who watch, the more embarrassed Mia and Letty will be when they figure out they've been busted. It'll make them think twice the next time they think about sneaking off. Second . . . the second one is the most important one."

"Which is?"

"It lets these busters know they're under my protection and that my protection has backup." Just as long as everything went to plan, Dom thought darkly.

"Let and Mia aren't gonna like this." Grumbling, but not actually fighting Dom on what was about to go down, Vince's jaw set hard.

"Yeah?" Dom countered. "Well there's a lot of shit been going on lately that I don't like." Like the ongoing war with Letty, and the inevitability of the girls growing up. The last part kinda pissed him off, because it was changing the dynamic of things in ways he didn't want to consider.

"Fuck where are they going?" Straightening a little, Vince watched as Letty and Mia followed Felix from a safe distance to the backyard.

"You didn't really think they were gonna hang out in the front yard all night did you?" Sarcasim dripped from Dom's lips as his gut clenched when the girls were out of sight. "Hector's got a few of his guys already there."

OXO

The moment her eyes landed on the action going on behind the house, Letty knew they were out of their depth. Stupidly she was picturing one of the race parties Dom and the others were always talking about. It didn't take a brainiac to know this definitely wasn't one.

"So what's your poison?" Looking over his shoulder at them, Felix sent them a creepy smirk. "We've got beer, hard stuff, or if you're into it something a little more fun."

Letty felt her upper lip curl. If there hadn't been people close by already staring at them, she would've let him know drugs didn't make him or anyone else there a gangster. It only made them a tool. Instead she kept her thoughts to herself. "Beer."

"Mia?" Felix asked.

"I'll take a beer too."

"Be right back."

When he was a safe distance away, Letty spoke softly. "One beer and we're outta here. We'll send him back for a refill and ditch this place."

"We should leave now." Mia muttered back.

"I wish." Moving her eyes around the already growing crowd, Letty shook her head slightly. "I don't want him to cause a scene. He's acting a little weird, when there's more people it'll be easier to slip off."

"Weird, he's acting down right creepy." Mia said under her breath as Felix headed back their way from the keg. He had a cup of beer in each hand, and one in his mouth. When he got to them he handed over a cup to each.

"There's more where that came from." He said, almost sounding casual. But Letty noticed the way he kept his eye trained on her while she took a sip.

The laid back atmosphere was quickly turning louder, as more and more people gathered around the yard in groups. Letty took in the crowd and decided after a few minutes she'd had enough. The party wasn't exactly what she'd anticipated. It was less fun and more a suckfest.

Downing the rest of the contents in her cup, she watched from the corner of her eye as Mia did the same. "How bout that refill?" Letty tried to plaster a slight grin on her face as she handed Felix her cup.

"Me too." Mia shoved her cup out.

Felix grinned and made his way through the crowd.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Mia grumbled, and Letty turned to follow when the world tilted and she nearly staggered to the side. "Letty?"

"I'm not feeling so good." Blinking her eyes a few times, Letty sucked in a deep breath. Slowly the sounds of the crowd and music started to blur, until it sounded like an annoying buzz in her ears.

"Jesus, are you gonna be sick?" Mia sounded like she was a hundred miles away, and Letty found it difficult to nod.

The rest of the world faded away; occasionally her vision would sharpen, as the concrete drive turned into worn dirty shag carpet. Voices sounded hallow, as though people were talking into empty tin cans. Then everything was gone, like a vacuum had been hooked up to her head and sucked everything out.

When she came to again, her body felt like a lead balloon. It was a struggle to open her eyes, and when she realized she was staring up at a leering Felix she knew bad shit was about to happen.

OXO

He figured they'd waited long enough. The sun had just set, and the crowd was thick. "Let's do this."

Opening the door and stepping out, Dom looked up the street where Hector was waiting and gave a nod. Without waiting to see if Vince was following he headed across the street and wove through the people, as his eyes scanned for the two faces he was looking for.

Stopping in the center of the backyard, he made a few sweeps, his head moving slowly from one side to the other. "Where the fuck are they?" He growled more to himself than to Vince who was now by his side.

"Dom they aint here." Vince sounded a little worried, but his tense face didn't show it.

"They gotta be, we would've seen them leaving." Arms folded across his chest, Dom scanned the crowd again.

"Yo, Toretto." Hector made his way to their side, his hand wrapped around some kids upper arm as he half dragged him over. "You've got trouble."

Half pushing the kid to position him between them, Dom let his domineering eyes rest on him. "What kind of trouble?"

"Tell him." Poking the kid in the back, Hector's eyes flared slightly, letting him know he wasn't going to repeat himself, at least not nicely.

At least the boy had the good sense to look scared, and Dom took a threatening step forward until their boot tips touched. "Hector, he doesn't seem to want to talk? Or maybe he's a pussy."

"Could be." Hector nodded, playing along. Reaching out and slapping the youth upside the head, Hector asked. "Are you a pussy."

Defiance flared in the boys eyes. "No."

Hector looked back at Dom. "Maybe he's just stupid?"

They were drawing a crowd, and Dom realized that was probably where the younger boy's false bravado was coming from. These were his people, and if things got out of hand he knew he'd have back up. "Where's Felix?"

"Why you want to know?" Another male stepped forward as the partiers started to quiet down around them.

"Cause he brought my baby sister and a close friend here." His tone even, Dom gave the kid on last hard glance before turning his full attention to the other guy. "We both know this aint no place for two fifteen year old girls."

Cocking a brow, he met the guy's steely look head on. He seemed to think over the words, and finally his shoulders dropped a little as he muttered something under his breath. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked at the boy sandwiched between Dom and Hector. "Where's Felix?"

The boy gulped, no longer looking brave. "I-I don't know."

"Oh come on chief." Hector laughed, but the sound coming from him sounded hallow. "You just bragged to me how Felix roofied one of the girls and was probably banging her right now."

A hush went over the crowd and the boy looked ready to pee himself. "Diego." Turning to face the man who looked ready to kill, the kid pleaded. "That's bullshit."

The ground felt like it'd dropped out from under him, as Dom grabbed onto a fistful of the kids shirt and yanked him forward. "Where the fuck are they?"

"I don't fucking know." Dom drew his fist back when the boy held up his hands. "His room. A few of the guys are keeping an eye on Mia and Felix was taking Letty to his room."

Red bled in front of his vision as Dom's fist slammed forward into the side of the boy's face. Turning a deadly look at the other guy, he tried to blink back the rage burning through his head. "Show me."

Looking ready to refuse, the guy held up a hand as a few males started to rush forward. "No." Pinning each with a hard glare, he turned back to Dom. "Follow me."

He led them through the backdoor of the house and to the front stairs. "Felix knows better than this." Diego muttered. Reaching the top, he sighed at the cluster of younger boys standing guard outside Felix's door. He snapped something in Spanish and the boys eyes widened before hurrying into one of the other rooms.

"They're getting your sister." Turning as they reached the door, Diego put his hand on the knob. "I won't let any of my boys get in the way. Felix needs to learn that there's always repercussions to his actions. All I ask is that you don't do anything that can't be reversed."

Not really giving a fuck if Diego was giving him permission to beat the snot out of Felix, Dom kicked the door in with the flat of his boot. Wood splintered and as Dom surveyed the room, his eyes rested on Felix who was staring back.

"Dom?" Mia's voice came from behind him, but Dom kept Felix pinned with his eyes. "Oh my god, Letty."

Feeling her trying to push him aside, he snapped. "Vince get Mia to the car and back to the house." Ignoring his sister's protests he took a deadly step into the room. He positioned himself to block off any possible escape route, and when he was sure Felix wasn't going to make a break for it, let his eyes shift to the left where Letty was passed out on the bed.

Strands of her hair covered most of her face. Like she'd been carried to the bed and dropped down on her back. Her shirt had already been removed, leaving her only in her bra and skirt. Dom sure as hell hoped for the boy's sake that her panties were still on, because he may not be able to meet Diego's one condition.

His lip curled up, disgust mixed with anger. "So you like to fuck unconscious girls?"

"F-Fuck you." Felix stuttered. His eyes moving to the door.

"Fuck me?" Placing a hand to his chest, Dom shook his head. "You're gonna stand there and tell me to fuck off after you drugged my girl?" Apparently reading his words wrong, Felix hazard a glance in Letty's direction, and Dom let him.

"I-I didn't know she was your girl." Like that made it all better, Dom fumed.

"So here's how's its gonna go." Stepping forward, flexing his biceps a little to show he meant business, Dom's eyes went dead. "I'm gonna break your fucking arm for taking off her shirt, and for whatever other fucked up shit you did to her."

Felix blanched.

"If I find out her panties are off." Taking a step, and then another, backing Felix up against the wall, Dom slammed his hand right above Felix's head. "I'm gonna break you're fucking leg."

"I didn't have sex with her." Felix nearly cried out.

"Well, that's fucking fantastic you sick fuck." Relief flooded through his blood, but kept his face set in stone. "Guess that means you won't have two broken legs."

Letting his temper take control, Dom plowed his fist into Felix's jaw. After that he barely remembered being pulled off the boy. All he knew was he'd struggled getting Letty's top on over her head, and picking her up.


End file.
